Paul said Friday in an interview set to air on CNN's "John King, USA" he disavowed the ad, but that he couldn't control the actions of every one of his supporters.

"Of course I disavow him and he shouldn't do it, because you have one out of how many, a couple hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, I don't know how many people we have, because one does that, to bring that up just doesn't sound like a fair thing to do," Paul said. "Of course I denounce it, I couldn't even hear it, haven't looked at it, but people do that, and they do it in all campaigns."

Paul continued, "So obviously I just disavow him and try to go on and do the thing I'm supposed to do."

The full interview with Paul airs on CNN at 6 p.m. ET.

The web ad from the group, New Hampshire Liberty 4 Ron Paul, takes aim at Huntsman's ambassadorship in China, his ability to speak Mandarin, and even his adopted daughter, Gracie Mei, who is Chinese. The spot closes with an image of Huntsman dressed as China's communist leader Mao Zedong.

After a speech Friday, Huntsman told reporters Paul should disavow the ad.

"If the group is in any way affiliated with his organization of course he should," Huntsman said.

"It's just political campaign nonsense. It happens from time to time," he added.

In his remarks, Huntsman described how Gracie Mei was found abandoned in a vegetable market in China and taken to an orphanage shortly after she was born 12 years ago.

Gracie Mei, who is now 12, is a fixture on the Huntsman campaign. The GOP contender often endearingly refers to her as his top foreign policy adviser.

"And now she's in my family," Huntsman said.

Polls show Huntsman, Paul, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich are all in a battle for second place in the upcoming New Hampshire primary.

soundoff(35 Responses)

Good for the Paul campaign. Now he (and all of the other candidates) should clearly state that no group should create an ad with it being aproved by the campaign before being aired.

January 6, 2012 12:55 pm at 12:55 pm |

Gurgi

No suprise. Ron has some good ideas but I cannot get behind his isolationist foreign policy. It did not work so well for us in WWII, remember the pearl harbor suprise??

January 6, 2012 01:01 pm at 1:01 pm |

Larry L

Once again you can thank the Republican Supreme Court for this situation. Candidates can pretend ignorance and take the "high road" while their PACs "swft boat" with impunity. Does anybody really believe candidates don't see these ads before they hit the street?

January 6, 2012 01:02 pm at 1:02 pm |

George

Why is the media trying to constantly smear Paul and his supporters? It was pretty obvious from the start that anybody could have posted this. Paul supporters should get an apology from the media. And as for this Huntsman guy, the MSM tell us he is such a great guy, such a great diplomat blah blah blah, but what does it say about him that he is so quick to accuse without any evidence?

January 6, 2012 01:03 pm at 1:03 pm |

Brett

Ron Paul supporters get a bad reputation for things like this. Which isn't fair on 2 counts...

1) Ron Paul supporters are politically savvy
2) They understand that everything they do is used against them

There is very little chance that the video was put up by a Ron Paul supporter. Huntsman is awefully quick to reference a video that only has a few thousand views and was uploaded by a rogue 'Ron Paul supporter' the day they created their account.

January 6, 2012 01:07 pm at 1:07 pm |

cisco4

Silly man...Paul.. He disavows most everything... or else he just does not remember..Just like Romney has a position on everything either way you like it he agrees or disagrees on every postion.. can't beat that.. Covers it all with the rrepubllicans....Just like ole GW Bush in his campaigns for president.. just give all the peoples money back to them and at the end of 8 years the government...... is broke...

January 6, 2012 01:08 pm at 1:08 pm |

Thomas

Huntsman is the only sane Republican out there in what is otherwise a freak show.

January 6, 2012 01:12 pm at 1:12 pm |

Mike L

People want to attack Paul for something he had nothing to do with. And has publicly done the right thing in disavowing the ad. So what is the big deal here?

January 6, 2012 01:17 pm at 1:17 pm |

Me too

Hey George, read a little more closely. Hunstman didn't accuse ... he just said that IF the group was affiliated with Paul's organization, then Paul should disavow the ad. And I agree with Huntsman, it was stupid.

January 6, 2012 01:21 pm at 1:21 pm |

George

What I find interesting is Stein at the Huffington Post actually e-mailed the poster of the video and got a response that tried to link the video to the campaign suggesting this is an attempt to attack the Paul campaign and his supporters. And as a Paul supporter I can tell you that our problems with Huntsman have nothing to do with his stance on China or his service as ambassador there, and I resent how quick he was to accuse when he had zero evidence. Some diplomat.

January 6, 2012 01:22 pm at 1:22 pm |

Jules

Here's the thing, Ron, This is the kind of hateful people your ideological campign attracts.

January 6, 2012 01:24 pm at 1:24 pm |

Real Low

This is such a non-issue! The New Hampshire Liberty 4 Ron Paul account was jmade on 1/4/2012 and sent out to the media and received one too many cover stories. This is how low its﻿ gotten! Anything to destroy Ron Paul! So sad...

January 6, 2012 01:26 pm at 1:26 pm |

Truth and Nothing But the Truth

MnTaxpayer - Good for the Paul campaign. Now he (and all of the other candidates) should clearly state that no group should create an ad with it being aproved by the campaign before being aired
==========================================================================================
What you suggest is against federal law. Campaigns are prohibited from coordinating with these groups.

Disavowing these ads is about all Ron Paul can do.

January 6, 2012 01:32 pm at 1:32 pm |

JustAnotherEarthling

Time for more popcorn *puke*. The psychotic political circus is heating up.

For all we know, the MSM flunkies (being as desperate as they are to squash Ron Paul) created and uploaded that video to create more adversity for the Ron Paul campaign (as if it didn't have enough already). That's how the entire psychotic political circus works...and it's only just the beginning, one way or another.

It's hilarious and disgusting at the same time, so pardon me while I vomit between laughs.

*PUKE*

Haa HAA.

January 6, 2012 01:33 pm at 1:33 pm |

Woman In California

I'm in no way a Ron Paul supporter but I personally found the ad TRUE and FUNNY. I would not vote for Willard Romney or Jon Huntsman not 2012 and not 2016.

Obama 2012

January 6, 2012 01:37 pm at 1:37 pm |

Jane

I'm sorry, noone with an IQ in triple digits believes that the candidates are not working hand in hand with their Super PAC investors. You can thank Citizens United for muddying the waters of our elections beyond repair.

January 6, 2012 01:41 pm at 1:41 pm |

Bill

Since the media plucks a random Youtube video trying to paint Ron Paul in a bad light, he has to come out and disavow this crap. Sweet story media! Also @GURGI – In 1981 when the Israeli's attacked a nuclear reactor in Iraq nearly every member of the U.S. legislative branch condemned the assault. Not Ron Paul. In fact, Ron Paul took the floor to defend Israel's right to act independently and defend themselves in the arena of foreign policy!! Ron Paul's foreign policy is called non-interventionism and it is NOT isolationism. His critics are getting desperate. This Ad is propaganda intended to smear the good Dr. Paul. It didn't work on me.

January 6, 2012 01:42 pm at 1:42 pm |

JustAnotherEarthling

Stands to reason that anyone who really was really in support of Ron Paul for president WOULD NOT put out such moronic video about someone who's not even a major contender in the first place. The whole video smells of Status Quo and MSM smear tactics.

Just when you'd think it was safe to go back into the water.

*Puke*

Haa Haa

*Puke*

Haa Haa.

*Puke*

Somebody please kill me.

January 6, 2012 01:44 pm at 1:44 pm |

WhereIsPalin

Hey Paul-bots. Sometimes Dr Quack's cult members get carried away.

January 6, 2012 01:45 pm at 1:45 pm |

Thomas

Thank you U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito .

You made it much easier to buy effluence and power. And who needs accountability anyway .

.

January 6, 2012 01:47 pm at 1:47 pm |

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ

That is just a little too late for most people...

January 6, 2012 01:47 pm at 1:47 pm |

Bob in Texas

And another one backfires on the negative campaigners. If anything, the effect of this negative ad will endear Huntsman to millions of voters. Kudos to Paul for disavowing the ad.

January 6, 2012 01:48 pm at 1:48 pm |

durundal

You know, if we have a truth in advertising dictum, why do we not have one for politics? It would seem that the stakes would be higher, and there are enough s t u p i d people to go around that we should really not allow such spam incarnate to be masqueraded around as an exercise in 'free speech'

January 6, 2012 01:58 pm at 1:58 pm |

durundal

You know, if we have a truth in advertising dictum, why do we not have one for politics? It would seem that the stakes would be higher, and there are enough gullible people to go around that we should really not allow such spam incarnate to be masqueraded around as an exercise in 'free speech'

January 6, 2012 01:58 pm at 1:58 pm |

veri true

The ad in call was a hit job. The person posting it created an account a day before and only made one video targeting huntsman and no other candidate. Which makes it to be suspect that was produced by a supporter of one of the other candidates running, like Newt, Romney, or santorum.